I heard about this, but only today read the story ! A Medal of Honor Veteran, a Veteran of not 1, not 2, but 3 wars is being sued for flyin his American Flag. Sussex Square HOA is sueing a Medal of Honor Vet for having a flag pole set in his front yard ! ARE YOU KIDDING ME ???

Decorated Veteran, 90, Fights to Raise Flag in His Yard - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

 

Hoa's are idiots.

Told me I could not have a 6 car garage on my 5 acres, Told them I had the permit from Va. Stuff it. Its two stories and no one messes with me or it.

Hoa's are analretentive Microcephalics

Thwart them at every opportunity, drives them more crazy
Woody

 

Microcephalics? Had to look that one up!

The fact that the new gated neighborhood I considered moving to had an HOA kept me from moving there. For some reason they wouldn't let me have 17 cars. The NERVE!

Back on topic - Hope the old guy beats the HOA!

 

I don't agree with an HOA but if you signed the paperwork saying you won't do such and such you've got to hold up to it. No matter how silly as it is.
Edit
Please don't flame me

 

This shares the same level of logic as that of not speeding to get to the hospital when your kid is bleeding to death. When you got your license, you agreed not to speed but somethings warrant bending the rules. It's the flag, he's a vet, end of story. Sometimes people just need to use common sense.

 

but he asked if he could have a flag pole and the board ruled against him. Then he did it anyway. I don't think it's about the flag, it's just about the pole. Hopefully they can come to a compromise. I personally wouldn't have a problem with it.
BTW I don't think you can compare this to racing to the hospital.

 

I'm with Dog on this. While I believe everyone has a right to fly the flag, veteran or not, If you agree to a HOA (BTW, I don't like them, but sometimes a necessary evil) you need to obey it's bylaws. I'm sure it has to do with aesthetics, and nothing to do with the flag.

 

Go figure-I not only live in a HOA administered subdivision, but am also a member of the Architectural Control Commitee. The same bunch of ****-retentive jackasses that are trying to smoke a veteran hero in this story.

We had the exact same situation here 2 years ago. An old vet wanted to erect a flagpole for an illuminated American flag. Against the rules 3 of the members said.
I went to bat for him and convinced the other 4 members to allow this to happen. I pointed out to them exactly how chickens%#t they were being and I would resign from the board, but would not only start writing letters to the nearest 3 newspapers, I would become the most unholy pri&k they had ever had the misfortune to live near.

We won. It turns out that almost ALL HOA's have provisions for spot approval of variances in opposition to the cited covenants. The vet in this case merely has to enlist a majority petition and present it to this HOA.

Let them take him to court then. This Great American will not be with us long. But that is certainly not the point.

 

WOW! HOA folks are crazy, but to try and not let a medal of honor, 3 war vet not fly a flag is a little big ridiculous.

My dad lives in a neighborhood like that where the HOA is absolutely crazy. Him and his neighbor have 3 times the yard everyone else does, 1 acre in the back, and it's looking straight back into woods. Well, both my dad and the neighbor have deer feeders up, can't hunt but there are a lot of deer and it's cool to see them come up and eat, which they do daily. My dad had a fence that ended about 20 feet short of the property line, just enough to where you could see the deer eat on top of the rise the feeders were on. The neighbor didn't have a fence, until he wanted a pool and then for insurance he had to build one. So he asked the HOA if he could put a rod-iron fence up just for the back so he could still see the deer. My dad went with him (since he's the only one that could have even seen the fence) and told them it was fine with him.

They wouldn't let him.

I keep trying to talk my dad into buying a bunch of pink flamingos and putting them in the front yard, just to make them mad. One of these days he will.

 

Pink flamingos are absolutely VERBOTEN in MY neighborhood!

 

That's the idea.

 

I know I shouldn't touch this story with a 21 foot pole, but I just had to.
HOA directors have a tough job, they really need to have the judgment of Solomon. What ever they do will probably upset someone so the best decisions are based on the rules.
The same rules apply for hero's and bums, the sanest decisions come from this practice. If you do not like the rules get them changed, move out or don't move in.
PS
There's a large Pole next to me and I let him do anything he wants.

 

I think it's easy for us to feel for the 90 year old decorated veteran. My respects go to him. I love and respect the flag no less than anyone else. But, I have to say; I would not want my neighbor erecting a 21 ft flag pole in the front yard. The HOA is not dis-allowing him from flying the American flag.

"Col. Barfoot is free to display the American flag in conformity with the neighborhood rules and restrictions. We are hopeful that Col. Barfoot will comply."
The statement reminded the public that many American flags hang from homes in the Sussex Square community, and that the board members object only to Barfoot's freestanding flagpole.

I respect who ever wants to fly a flag on a 21 ft pole. If someone wants to do that, then you have to live in an area where you can do it.

 

Years ago when we lived in HOA neighborhood, we put a bunch of pink flamingos in our neighbors yard one night as a joke (they were good friends).

And that was when the war began.

 

It's easy to see who here works for a HOA and who doesn't. :wink:

Just kidding!

 

Take that HOA's of America !!!

Virginia Veteran Wins Battle to Keep His Flagpole in Yard - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

 

Out-damn-standing!

 

That is GREAT!

When the HOA starts paying my mortgage, they can tell me what to do. I would never live with a HOA. I understand why they are there and and I view them like Unions, had a purpose a one point, but are now completely out of control. That is a general statement. I am sure that there are some that are good and fairly run. Sorry for the little rant....

 

As a former President of an HOA, I have to jump in. I guess that makes me a Micropheliac.

Facts are that you signed the covenants along with a pile of documents thicker than a modern Congressional bailout bill. You didn't read it because you assumed the covenants were written with your best interests in mind.
You figured wrong.

HOA's actually have little power as they must enforce the restrictions as a matter of contract, not ordinance. So, when they give you grief, threaten court. Mean it or don't do it. A letter from your attorney will likely provide motivation for a compromise agreement. It costs too much to go to court with everybody. Most HOA's do not have huge sums with which to go to court. If they do, the boards are being reckless with the HOA's money. A violationof their feduciary responsibility. Using this will beat the HOA everytime.

If your request for a variance is reasonable, you will win. I've been on both sides of this situation. After twenty years of bucking the HOA I ran for office for no other reason than to get the egomaniacs out. Seemed to work better being reasonable than an @sshole. I did it for 13 years.

Crumpy is the Prez now and the headaches of running the HOA of 406 homes is still bringing 2:00 AM phone calls. But people can enjoy doing, within reason, what they want to do with their property under her watch.

As for this Vet, he actually had the law on his side. One cannot be prevented from flying the colors from their own property. Federal law. So long as he owns the ground, he can place a flag in it. That's why some condos now set it up that you don't own the ground outside the footprint of your house. Watch out for that one if buying a condo.


roadster with a stick

 

Well said Franc. That's the way I see it too. Yeah, I know : Big Deal.

But I read the copy of our conenants CLOSELY before I agreed to buy into this situation. And I noticed (and disagreed with) the wording about the flagpole item.
As I posted earlier, I went to bat in favor of our old timer putting up his flagpole. I'm a vet and can't stand the thought of a group of A, G or X generation tightbutts viewing a well maintained flagpole and Old Glory as a possible detraction from the collective property values. An attoney in the neighborhood told me (I kinda' believe him) that most HOA bylaws/covenants are traceable to some community that wrote thiers up about 30-odd years ago and are fine tuned (or not) to fit the local atmosphere. Like I said, it sounds believable.

Good for this guy. It makes me feel good that sense prevailed.

P.S. There is no thing more rare than sense. The term "Common Sense" is an oxymoron of the first magnitude!